The weather changes from Sunday (12.01.2025), with a “dip” in temperature of up to 11 degrees Celsius, rain and thunderstorms in most parts of the country, while dense snowfall will appear in the mountains.

The bad weather will affect areas of Western and Central Macedonia. Snow is expected to fall in Thessaloniki, as well as in other cities in northern Greece. The temperature is going to drop a lot and according to the forecasts so far, snow will fall in the lowlands as well as in the mountains.

Few phenomena until Saturday, while from Sunday a change in the weather is predicted with rain, storms mainly over the sea areas and snow mainly in the central and northern mountains. The temperature will drop significantly at the beginning of next week, EMF director Thodoros Kolidas said in a post.

“There is the potential for these colder air masses to descend on several areas of our country. If this happens, why not have snow surprises, depending on how this cold weather is combined,” according to Sakis Arnaoutoglou’s forecast.

Arniakos: Cold airy ball coming

“A cold air ball from northern Europe will descend next weekend and Monday towards the Mediterranean and our country, bringing heavy rain in the lowlands, thunderstorms in the northern Ionian Sea, the west, the southern Peloponnese, the northern and eastern Aegean islands, Crete and the Dodecanese. This is the first cold invasion of 2025 and the temperature will drop 10 to 11 degrees Celsius, mainly in the central and northern regions of the country, compared to the current 17 and 18 degrees Celsius, reaching on Sunday at noon in the north only 9 to 11 degrees Celsius, “stressed Tassos Arniakos.

“Snow will fall in all the ski resorts of central and northern Greece, but also at lower altitudes, in western Macedonia from 800 meters and above, in Florina and around Kozani, Ptolemaida, Grevena, Thessaloniki, Serres, Metsovo, Pertouli, Karpenisi, Arachova, Kalavrita and Tripoli. The south winds will reach 7-8 Beaufort in the sea at first, before turning to gusty north winds. The phenomena will continue on Monday, while from Tuesday onwards they will gradually begin to subside,” the ANT1 meteorologist added.

Snow is coming from the Balkans 

For his part, Giorgos Tsatrafillias said that “over the Sunday-Monday (at least) weekend, polar air masses will cause heavy snowfall in the Balkan Peninsula and a sharp drop in temperature. In our country, the latest forecast data signal heavy snowfall in the mountains, from Lamia, and further north, as well as snowfall in cities in Macedonia (including Thessaloniki). Also impressive will be the drop in temperature of up to 10 degrees mainly in central and northern Greece, while windy north winds will blow.”

Marousakis: Prognostic chaos

According to Klearchos Marousakis, there is “prognostic chaos” for now. Specifically, in a post by the meteorologist, he explains that details of the weather change cannot yet be given. He stresses that there is still a lot of uncertainty about what will eventually happen, as in Athens “at 1,500 meters above sea level, the temperature range of the forecast scenarios ranges from -3 to +8 approximately with the average road being close to +3. This forms completely different forecasts where for example at -3 we could see snow in the mountains of the prefecture, at +8 snow nowhere, as well as at +3 with barely any flakes on the high mountains of Parnitha and Kithairon and under certain conditions.”

Temperatures for Wednesday 08/01/2025

Relatively low minimum temperatures were recorded in the morning hours of Wednesday 08/01 in the northern and central continental parts, with the lowest minimum temperature recorded in Paranesti of Drama where the mercury dropped to -0.3 °C. According to the network of automatic weather stations of the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr the eight lowest minimum temperatures of the day are presented in the table below.

Today’s weather

Local clouds are expected. In Western Greece, the East Aegean islands, and the Dodecanese, clouds will be thicker, and light local showers will occur. Light showers may occasionally occur in parts of Thrace and Crete. Dust concentrations will be increased, mainly in western Greece. At night and early in the morning, visibility will be limited in many areas.

The temperature will range in Western Macedonia from -2 to 13 degrees Celsius, in the rest of northern Greece from 2 to 14-16 degrees Celsius, in Thessaly from 2 to 16-17 degrees Celsius, in Epirus from 7 to 16-17 degrees Celsius, in the rest of the mainland from 5 to 17-19 degrees Celsius, in the Ionian Islands from 10 to 17 degrees Celsius and in the Aegean islands and Crete from 9 to 16-18 degrees Celsius.

In the Aegean Sea, the winds will blow south-southwest with intensities of 3-5 Beaufort, while in the Ionian Se, the winds will blow southwest with intensities of 4-5 Beaufort.

In Attica, we expect occasionally increased clouds. At night and early in the morning the visibility will be limited. Winds will blow west-southwest with intensities up to 3 Beaufort. The temperature will range from 10 to 16 degrees Celsius.

In Thessaloniki, we expect partly cloudy conditions. At night and early in the morning the visibility will be limited. Winds will blow from various directions with intensities of 2-3 Beaufort. The temperature will range from 6 to 14 degrees Celsius.

The weather on Friday 10-01-2025

A few clouds, increasing in places with a possibility of light local rain in the west, on the islands of the eastern Aegean, the eastern parts of the Cyclades, Crete and from the evening in the Dodecanese. Visibility in the morning hours will be locally limited and fog will form.

Winds will blow westerly south-westerly 3 to 5 Beaufort and occasionally in the southern Aegean up to 6 Beaufort.

The temperature will not change significantly. It will reach 15 to 16 degrees Celsius in the north, in the rest of the country 17 to 18, and locally in the south 19 degrees Celsius.

The weather on Saturday 11-01-2025

hourly 20-20-20-20-20-20
Clouds, partly cloudy and partly cloudy throughout the country. Rains will occur in western, northern Greece, eastern and southern Aegean. Visibility in the morning hours will be locally limited.

Winds will blow in the west and south from westerly directions 4 to 6 Beaufort and in the rest of the region northeastern 3 to 4 Beaufort and from the afternoon in the northeast 5 to 6 Beaufort.

The temperature will drop in the north while it will remain high for the season in the central and southern regions.

The weather on Sunday 12-01-2025

Increased clouds with local rain and mainly in the western parts sporadic thunderstorms. The phenomena in the west will probably be strong in places. Snowfall will occur in the central and northern continental mountains and semi-mountainous areas.

Winds in the west will blow east southeast 4 to 6 and gradually 7 to 8 Beaufort. In the east the winds will blow northeast 5 to 7 and in the Aegean Sea locally 8 Beaufort.

The temperature will drop significantly in northern and central Greece.